Twins of Opposite
by MidnightEden234
Summary: Hichigo and Ichigo are not your average twins. They are no more alike than Yin and Yang. While Ichigo, the younger, acts twice his age and hates his brother. Hichigo, the older, acts like a child and loves his brother much more than you would think... Though death may soon come before Ichigo realises such a fact. HichiIchi One-Shot


**Normally I don't write stories like this, but I was talking with one my friends and boom this came up.**

**So, with help from Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo, this story came to life! It's alive! Alive! Mwahahahaha!**

**Ahem... continue on. :)**

* * *

Rain was the darkness that devoured the town below. Wind was the object of destruction that had knocked out that world's power. Citizens were forced into locking their doors and surviving with only the light of half melted candles placed on window sills and counter tops.

At this time of night on an evening so devastating even the worst delinquents would be in bed, but sadly not all could live this luxury.

Hichigo and Ichigo Kurosaki were the exception to the ordinary. Since before birth, one might say it was even their destiny, they were chosen to be Shinigami.

Shinigami weren't rare, but to this day no one has ever seen them. Why? Well, simply because they blended in with the crowds of people they surrounded themselves with. And not to mention it was nearly impossible for a human to outsmart someone of an IQ twice better than their own.

"Tch. Hollows. What vile creatures," Ichigo stated blankly on this cold night. The boy stood tall on top of a roof and looked out over the western side of Karakura town. Ichigo was a boy of age fifteen, though his built figure and high intelligence could pass him off as double his age.

Hichigo nodded in agreement to his twin's previous statement. Unlike Ichigo with his bright orange hair, Hichigo was colorless, save for his eyes. While Hichigo was human his eyes were blue, but once he turned to his true form the white turned black and the blue became a fierce gold.

"Ones coming down your side," Ichigo informed.

"I see it," Hichigo confirmed. He drew his snow white blade from its black sheath and vanished laughing happily into the night.

"Idiot," Ichigo mumbled, "that's exactly how you let it know you're coming."

Now, many people knew that the Kurosaki twins didn't have a family. They knew that the brothers took care of each other and that they lived with their uncle. What they didn't know was that their uncle himself was a Shinigami, and that he wasn't even their uncle. After Masaki, Isshin, Yuzu and Karin passed away; Kisuke Urahara took the boys in and trained them in the art of Soul Reaping.

So, two twin brothers that held an ancient power and lived a double life should get along perfectly, right? Wrong. Ichigo absolutely loathed the thing that was called his brother. He hated Hichigo for a reason only he and God knew. Hichigo, on the other hand, looked up to Ichigo. Sure it hurt that his idol absolutely hated him, but that wouldn't stop Hichigo from trying to impress the teen who, sadly, had a stick up his ass.

Ichigo arrived to help his twin get out of the trouble he undoubtedly caught himself in. Hichigo stood pinned against a wall laughing his heart out as the hollow continued to push with its tusks against Hichigo's blade.

Ichigo rushed in with his sword held high and stabbed the over grown monster straight through its head.

"Thanks Ichi," Hichigo said with a childish grin on his face. He pushed the hollow to the ground where it lay still.

Ichigo withdrew his blade from the hollows skull and silently watched the giant creature vanish.

At his brother's silence, Hichigo felt uneasy. "Ichi?"

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Ichigo suddenly snapped. His brother's anger caused the teen in question to jump.

"What do you mean?"

"You rushed in without thinking, then in the face of danger you laugh. I'll ask again, what the hell is wrong with you?" Ichigo's brown eyes glared furiously into Hichigo's hurt ones. The albino looked down to his feet, thinking of something to say but was quickly interrupted, "No answer? Fine, I'll tell you. You're a sick-"

Hichigo looked up, and his eyes widened fearfully.

"-twisted-"

"Ichigo."

"-and demented-"

"Ichigo!"

"-sorry excuse of a brother!"

Hichigo ignored the hurt he felt from those words and dove. His hands wrapped around the base of Ichigo's neck and he threw him out across the street.

Ichigo hit his head hard against the pavement, pain and anger running through his veins. His head angrily snapped up and he was about to counter attack, but stopped instantly at what he saw. A panther-like, car sized hollow dug its teeth into Hichigo's side and threw him onto the roof of a near-by house.

Ichigo grabbed his sword and ran at the hollow, managing to scratch its face before it ran off. His attention then returned to his brother who was currently sliding off the roof he'd been thrown on to.

Just as Hichigo was about to fall, Ichigo caught him, immediately afterwards becoming covered in a thick layer of Hichigo's blood.

"Ichigo," Hichigo wheezed softly, "is that you?"

"Yeah, you idiot, I'm here," Ichigo replied. He lifted Hichigo as carefully as he could into a bridal-like hold. "I'm gonna take you to Kisuke, okay?"

Hichigo nodded slowly, trying to find Ichigo's face but his blurred vision making it nearly impossible to.

By the time Ichigo had gotten home, Hichigo had passed out.

"What happened?" Kisuke questioned the moment Ichigo entered.

"He's been hurt Kisuke. A hollow jumped him," Ichigo replied with nothing more than seriousness in his voice.

Kisuke felt ready to yell at Ichigo for the lack of care he showed, but instead took to the more important matter of tending to his student. Kisuke took Hichigo from Ichigo's arms and carried the albino into the back where all the medical equipment was located.

Ichigo went upstairs, changing back to his human form halfway up the steps. He entered the bathroom and locked the door allowing his newly found silence to bring peace to his ears. Ichigo removed his soaking clothing, careful to not touch the gash across his forehead or the bruise on his knee, and entered the shower.

The warm water brought his body back to life, de-numbing his frozen fingers and unkinking the knots in his muscles. Ichigo took the shampoo bottle from the only shelf, flicked it open with his thumb and squeezed some of the continents onto his free hand.

Ichigo brought his hands to his head and begun the gentile massage that always calmed him. It was his secret, and he'd never admit it to anybody, but there was only one way that he could stand to wash his hair and that was if Hichigo did it for him. It was something that Ichigo hadn't allowed Hichigo to do since they were nine, but he always repeated the actions that Hichigo used to do. And sometimes he even pretended that it was Hichigo who did it too.

After reminding himself that he hated the parasite, Ichigo stopped washing and started rinsing. He stuck his head beneath the shower and left it there until he could run his fingers through his hair and feel no soap left at all.

"Why did he save me," Ichigo asked himself, some five minutes later. He was now in his bedroom wrapping bandages around his forehead and around his leg. "He knows I hate him. So why would he do something like that?"

There was a knock at his door. "Ichigo?"

"What is it Kisuke?"

"He's asking for you," Kisuke replied. His voice was soft and filled with sorrow. It was as though his cat had just been hit by a car. However, Ichigo knew for a fact Yoruichi was still alive.

"Alright. I'll be out in a minute."

Ichigo tied the last of the bandage together, slipped into some jogging pants and opened the door. The first thing he saw was Kisuke's fist as it slammed hard into his body.

"What the hell?" Ichigo yelled as he grabbed his now throbbing shoulder.

"Hichigo is hurt and yet you act like there's nothing wrong! Stop treating him like dirt and be a brother to him for once, won't you?" Ichigo had never seen Kisuke so upset, it unnerved him a little. "And besides, this may very well be the last time you see your brother."

"What," Ichigo squeaked, his voice suddenly getting caught in his throat.

Kisuke shut his eyes and sighed. "He's dying."

Ichigo pushed past Kisuke and ran down the stairs. He entered the medical room to find Hichigo lying shirtless on a bed and breathing heavily. Blue eyes stared tiredly at Ichigo, unable to lock on target due to the user's blurred vision.

Ichigo grabbed a stool from the corner of the room and placed it by the bed. He sat down slowly unable to believe that this was actually happening.

"Hi Hichigo," Ichigo greeted rather calmly compared to his heartbeat.

"Heya Ichi..." Hichigo breathed out his words, each of them raspy and faint. "All that commotion... did you miss me?"

Tears formed in Ichigo's eyes as he smiled at the stupid question. "Idiot, don't talk, you need your strength in order to get better."

Hichigo smiled, his drained strength making his lips twitch.

Ichigo shuffled his stool closer to the bed. He leaned over his brother, not being able to help the tear that fell onto Hichigo's forehead.

"Please Ichi... don't cry..." Hichigo begged softly.

"I'm not crying," Ichigo responded quickly.

Hichigo chuckled at the orangette's lie. His fingers blindly reached out towards Ichigo's face. Ichigo took hold of Hichigo's hand and pulled it away, but still kept a firm hold on the freezing object.

"Are you... Are you okay...?"

Ichigo nodded, biting his bottom lip in an attempt to keep from sobbing out.

"That's... good..." Hichigo's breath slowed dramatically, scaring Ichigo to no end. This time he didn't stop Hichigo when he reached to touch him, allowing the albino to run his fingers through his hair and to pull him closer.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo asked, "Why did you do it?"

Their faces were drawing closer now, much closer. Neither of them seemed to notice, hearing each other's voices had become the most important thing.

"I should be the lying there, not you. You didn't have to save me! If I hadn't been yelling at you and had been paying attention you wouldn't have gotten hurt... I shouldn't have been yelling at you in the first place," Ichigo cried. "This is all my fault!"

Shiro slowly shook his head. "I... wanted to... save you. I saved you... because..." Hichigo went into a wild coughing frenzy, Ichigo instinctively running his hand through his brother's hair to try and calm him down. "Because... I... love you... I-chi-go..."

"No!" Ichigo shouted when Hichigo's hand fell numb. "Don't die!" He screamed when Hichigo no longer responded to his touches. "Please, don't leave me!" Ichigo's tears poured out and his stomach clenched up as a sorrow and anger filled scream tore out of his throat. He pulled Hichigo's lifeless body towards his own and buried his face into his twin's neck.

It was then that Ichigo realised something important, something he should've known a long time ago and he felt stupid for not. Hichigo had truly loved him, and not as a brother, but as something more than simply that. Not only had Hichigo just flat out said it after dying for Ichigo, but the position both of them were in...

They had just been about to kiss.

Ichigo ran two fingers over Hichigo's eyes, closing them and allowing his brother eternal rest. His fingers didn't stop there though. They ran down Hichigo's face, across his neck, over his chest and across the teen's midriff. Ichigo observed the deep red wounds that were inflicted apon his brother's perfect body and he scowled.

"I'll kill it," Ichigo promised, "I'll kill it Hichi. I swear that it'll be dead before sunrise... and then we'll be together again."

Ichigo took to silence as he exited the room. He walked slowly to the front doors and, just as he was about to open them, Kisuke had appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Where are you going Ichigo?" He asked, though already positive he knew.

"Thank you, Kisuke, for letting my brother and I stay here."

Kisuke's suspicions were confirmed when he heard Ichigo call Hichigo his brother. Not once in the six years that he knew the boy did he ever hear Ichigo day such a thing.

"I'm going out," Ichigo added, "and I won't be back."

"I understand," Kisuke sighed. He took a white sheet from the closet and entered the medical room leaving Ichigo in his silence.

The orangette opened the door and stepped back out into the rain. He glanced once at the sky, noting that it was getting brighter. _One hour until sunrise._

He changed quickly into his true form, Ichigo's black Shihakusho never feeling better around his body. Ichigo drew his sword and jumped high above the roof tops, using one of his skills to walk on air.

Ichigo ran around town, screaming out his frustrations at invisible foes when he couldn't find the one he was looking for. Feeling like he was ready to lose his mind, Ichigo pointed his sword skyward and screamed, "You bloody fucking coward of a Hollow! Show yourself before I decide you're too weak to care about!"

"You sure like yelling a lot," a deep voice rumbled through the streets.

Ichigo stumbled to face the Hollow, but held his sword firm nonetheless.

"Tell me, where's your friend? I didn't get a chance to finish him off... he sure tasted good."

"Why you..." Ichigo muttered. He swallowed his anger, but it came right back up again. "I'll kill you!"

"Oh, touchy, touchy... Tell me, the reason I can't see your friend. Tell me, is it because he's dead?"

Ichigo's knuckles turned white from the increasing grip he had on his sword. His teeth showed themselves along with his snarl. Never before had Ichigo felt so angry. Never before had Ichigo wanted to kill something so badly.

"That's it, isn't it? Go on... you can tell me."

Ichigo ran forward as fast as he could. His sword clashed with the Hollow's teeth and the battle began.

The Hollow swung his claws for Ichigo's throat, managing only to tear a piece of Ichigo's clothing due to the Shinigami pulling away. Ichigo dove in fast, slicing a leg clean off. The Hollow let out a loud whine before jumping on top of Ichigo. Teeth sunk into Ichigo's shoulder and it was the orangette's cry that pierced the air this time.

The Hollow pulled away, smiling a blood soaked grin.

Ichigo dropped to his knees, getting caught in a violent fit of hacking. Blood slowly poor from his lips... his eyes beginning to close.

"Weak, just like that pathetic friend of yours."

Ichigo's anger clouded over his pain. He redefined his grip on his sword and stood.

"Coming back for more?"

"I made a promise." With a speed matched by no other Ichigo ran for the Hollow's head. Its eyes, glowing red, widened when Ichigo struck. Blood fell onto the pavement and the Hollow's head fell apon the stone.

Ichigo walked around the body of the Hollow and watched it slowly disappear. Just as the last bit was fading, Ichigo collected the saliva that was in his mouth and spat. "That was for my brother, bastard."

A beam of light came from the horizon as the sun began to rise. Ichigo smiled, remembering his promise he took his sword and placed it over his chest. With a final breath of air, his black blade pierced his heart.

* * *

_There was a field filled with tall green grass that expanded father than the eye could see._

_One boy of age fifteen woke to find himself in the dead center of the field. He ran his fingers through his orange hair and gazed around curiously at his new surroundings._

_He stopped when his eyes fell apon something white in the middle of the green. The white thing looked like him, but also didn't... twins seemed to be the right word._

_It held out a hand and he grabbed it. Both boys worked together to bring the first to his feet._

_"Ichigo," the white one called._

_The orangette smiled, Ichigo was his name. "Hichigo," he responded with just the same happiness in his voice._

_"I missed you."_

_Tears formed in Ichigo's eyes as Hichigo embraced him in a soft hug. "I missed you too, brother. And I think I owe you this..." Hichigo looked partially confused, but it all turned to shock as Ichigo placed his lips on his. Hichigo's face lit up red and although he was embarrassed, he couldn't have been happier._

_For Ichigo, the one thing he cherished and loved the most, had finally received his message._


End file.
